Lacy and her Return
by Hidden717
Summary: After a tragic accident, Lacy ends up with Rita Loud. Can Rita and Lacy bond as family, or will the sin of her existence always be etched in Rita's mind?
1. Chapter 1

There is a fundamental difference between a mistake and a sin. It would be a mistake if, for example, a leading high-school athlete became pregnant. It would be a mistake if an aspiring teenaged artist impregnated another teen with his seed. But if the pregnancy was the result of an incestuous affair, then that wasn't just a mistake.

It was a sin, and whatever the pregnancy produced would be, now and forever, a sin.

So that is what Lacy Loud, the daughter of Lincoln and Lynn Loud, was. A sin. An abomination. A deviant. A… thing.

For the most part, though, she had never interacted with those labels. After the news of who impregnated her mother broke out, the two fled from their home, from the family that once wanted nothing but the best for them, and into a life on their own. They found cheap work, and slowly built up from there. Her father had managed to sell some of his artwork (under a false name, of course) and her mother worked long hours between part time jobs, rushing from one place to another. The two managed to scrabble together enough to provide for their daughter, who they both cared for lovingly. They had sinned, they realized, but the poor girl had no part in it.

So they did their best to raise her with love and care. They smiled when she came home with her report card, no matter what grades were on it. When she started showing a little interest in sports, her mother practically squealed with joy, and rubbed it in her father's face. "I told you she took more after me," she said with glee.

They raised her with love and care for the first 12 years of Lacy's life.

Of course, it was only 12 years.

* * *

Perhaps it was divine punishment, Lacy thought, as she was being driven to her new home, that took her parents from her. Perhaps the sin Lincoln and Lynn committed was so severe that the only way it could be erased was with the car crash that ended their lives, leaving Lacy in the hands of… her…

Her grandmother, Rita. A woman who Lynn and Lincoln had nothing positive to say about. "Stay away from her, Lacy," they instructed her, "We don't know what she would do to you if she saw you again."

But her parents were gone now, so there was no one protect her from being taken in by Rita Loud. Of course, taken in was probably a wrong term. Being forced onto her was better. She remembered how her grandmother had shouted that she 'wanted nothing to do with that failed abortion.'

"Aunt Leni?"

The driver turned her head a bit, to the rearview mirror. 'What is it, sweetie?"

"Does Granma hate me?"

Leni gave a soft sigh. She wanted to lie to the poor girl, but there was no point in hiding it. "Lacy," she started softly, "she has… problems with you. She hates what your parents did to us, to our normal lives, and… she may take that out on you. But believe me, everything will be fine. She'll take care of you; feed you, clothe you, send you to school. And maybe," Leni sighed again, "She'll start loving you," she finished with a tone that showed she didn't even believe that last part herself.

Lacy nodded and looked to the ground, a bit depressed by that news. 'What about… everyone else? Aside from you, Aunt Leni, no one seems to ever want to see me."

"It's the same thing, Lacy. Your parents did us to much damage."

"Then how come you don't hate me, Aunt Leni?"

Lacy saw her aunt's mouth quiver slightly. "Because, dear, you're a beautiful girl, just like any other. You shouldn't be judged by something you couldn't control. And because you are family, Lacy, and I was always taught that family came first. And because," Leni choked a bit, and Lacy saw a few tears leave her eyes, "You remind me of… Lynn and Linky…"

Leni sniffled loudly, and wiped some of the tears from her eyes. Lacy knew to stay quiet now; she forgot that, for as much as her parents had separated from their family, they were still family nonetheless, and it was no doubt tragic for them to learn that their brother and sister had been killed.

Suddenly, the car stopped. Leni put the car into park mode, and got out of the vehicle, and went to the side of the car to open it for Lacy. "We're here," said Leni, as she pointed to a large green home, "Lacy Loud, welcome to the Loud House."

* * *

 **Welcome, everyone, to my first official LH fanfic. This story was inspired by a short fic about Lacy titled "Lacy is for Suffering." It was realistic but had a really depressing ending, so I wanted to write a story for Lacy that is still sad and realistic, but has a better message of acceptance.**

 **The reason that this story is pretty short is because I wanted to give out a "test-product," to see if people wanted more. I know that people hate the love-children, after all…**

 **So please, tell me if you would like to see me continue, and feel free to make any suggestions/constructive criticism.**


	2. Chapter 2

_Lincoln held a couple of papers in his hands, and sighed deeply. He leafed through them, taking his careful time to look at each and every one. They were drawings, comics, that he had made back in his elementary days. But it wasn't the comics themselves he was interested in; it was the subject._

 _For these were his Full House Gang comics._

 _He looked over the expressions of each of his sisters, that he had made into super powered crime fighters; The High Card, barking out orders to take down the bank robbers, The Eleven of Hearts throwing herself into a wall by accident, the Night Club blasting back some burglars with heavy metal, the Joker throwing powerful pie attacks, the Eight of Spades slamming her shovel over an enemy's head, the Royal Flush preparing the water pressure of the building, only for the Queen of Diamonds to set a small fire, causing the sprinklers to erupt and some escaping robbers to slip, The Card Counter using her scarf to slip over a criminal, and the Deuce repelling attackers with her stinky farts, laughing as she did._

 _Then Lincoln's eyes wandered over to a certain superheroine: The Strong Suit. Out of all the drawings, he had spent the most time getting every detail about her correctly, and he obsessively looked over her design time and time again. Perhaps, he thought, that was a sign…_

 _"What are you looking at?"_

 _Lincoln looked up from his comics to see Lynn standing there, looking as tired as she could be._

 _"Hi, Lynn," he greeted with a smile, "I was just… looking over some old comics. That I drew back before… all this happened."_

 _Lynn gave him a comforting look. "Tell me about it while you give me a massage?" she offered. Her back had been killing her the whole day from her horrible work schedule. Lincoln gave a small nod, and Lynn removed her shirt, and lay down on the bed, as Lincoln got to work rubbing her shoulders and massaging her back._

 _"It's just… I miss the old days, Lynn. I miss the days when we were at home, with our family, with Mom and Dad. I miss when I could draw for a passion," the young man gave a very heavy sigh, "I miss when we were just brother and sister."_

 _"I miss it all too, Linc," said Lynn as she pointed out a particularly sore spot for her brother to massage, "I miss my sports. I miss basketball, softball, soccer, football, wrestling, hockey… hell, I even miss getting my ass handed to me in chess," she chuckled slightly at the memories, "But we did what we did, Lincoln. We can't go back. Not now. Not ever."_

 _"I know," he responded, "But… do you think… if you could… would you take it back? Would you have stopped… us?"_

 _Lynn sat up off the bed and stared Lincoln dead in the eye, an angry look in them. "No. I wouldn't have. What we did may have been wrong, but it gave us the most precious thing in our lives right now."_

 _"Lacy," he said softly, "Of course."_

 _Lynn nodded aggressively. "If you had told me to stop before we had her, I would have said yes. I would have been happy to, honestly. But after she was born, I don't regret a thing."_

 _Lincoln gave his sister a soft smile. "Neither do I, Lynn… neither do I…"_

 _Lynn smiled back, a bit more seductively. "You know, we haven't really… done it… in a while. When was the last time?"_

 _"Years ago, when we made her," said Lincoln with a laugh._

 _Lynn grabbed her brother by the collar, "Let's change that, shall we," she said as she leaned in to kiss her brother's lips…_

 _"Mommy, Daddy?"_

 _Lynn shot back with a small cry and covered herself with a blanket, her face as red as her shirts used to be. "Lacy, what's wrong?"_

 _A four-year old Lacy wandered into her parent's room, rubbing her eyelids tiredly. "I had a nightmare. Can I sleep with you?"_

 _Lincoln gave the girl a soft smile and lifted her onto the bed. "Of course, honey," he said as he kissed Lacy on the forehead. "We should all get some rest," said Lincoln as he gestured to Lynn to cover up. After Lynn had put on a shirt, the three of them got into bed and covered themselves with their blanket._

 _"Good night, Mommy. Good night, Daddy."_

 _"Good night, honey," responded Lincoln._

 _"Good night, sweetheart," responded Lynn._

* * *

While Lacy had not been there for the entire conversation, she was there at the end, receiving the warm love of her mother and father. But the house that stood before made her feel the opposite; it was a bit more cold, hostile even. For even though it was only a building, Lacy felt that it held a grudge against her.

 _You ruined everything._ She could hear it whisper in the wind. She ducked behind her Aunt Leni in fear of the large structure, with Leni looking down at her with sympathetic eyes.

"Lacy, calm down. Everything will be alright," she said as started softly stroking the girl's brown hair, "I don't know what horrible things you've heard about my mom, but I promise she wouldn't hurt you."

Lacy gulped a bit, before giving her aunt a thankful smile, "Thanks, Aunt Leni. For everything."

"No problem, dear," Leni said as she gave her niece a hug, "I wish I could adopt you myself, but my managers at the fashion agency forbade it. Technically, I shouldn't even be here with you," she giggled slightly, "But I won't let them if you don't," she said as she put her finger to her lips in a "shushing" fashion.

Lacy giggled back herself. "I promise I won't."

"Good girl. Let's get moving, shall we?"

* * *

Despite what Lincoln and Lynn had told their daughter, Rita Loud was not an unfeeling monster. In fact, it was quite the opposite; she felt too much. She was very involved with her family, and did her best to care for all of them. Perhaps that's why, knowing that her granddaughter was approaching, she elected to remain in her room, staring at an old photo of her and her family, all beaming at the camera. It was a photo taken before the incident, back when her son was eleven and her daughter was thirteen, about 15 years ago, back before they had developed any inappropriate thoughts about each other…

Rita stared longingly at the photo. How she missed those days… even with the hustle and bustle of her job and taking care of 11 children and writing a novel, she was truly happy. But now, she sat there, a lonely woman. Two of her children became incestuous lovers and were then killed off in an accident, and her other children were gone, each with their own lives…

Well, all except one.

"Um, Mom?"

Rita saw her 16 year old daughter Lily knocking gently at the door. Just the sight of Lily made the woman smile. As much as Lily would hate for her to say it, she was the only remnant Rita had of her happiest days, and she cursed the day that she would have to send Lily off to college. But for now, she was there for her. That was all that mattered.

"Yes, what is it, sweetie?"

"Come on, Mom, don't call me sweetie. I'm sixteen," Lily said with a little laugh, "Anyways, I… um… I just wanted to let you know, Aunt Leni and Lacy are at the door."

And Rita's smile completely vanished from her face. "Thank you, Lily," she said in a mechanical tone, "I'll take it from here."

Lily nodded, and gave her mother a hesitant look before walking back to the living room. Rita could hear the girls scream with joy as they greeted each other, Leni hugging her sister and Lily patting a smiling Lacy on the head.

Rita got up slowly, trying to delay the encounter as much as possible. She had only seen Lacy once, as a baby, so she couldn't help but observe how the girl had grown. She even resembled a younger Lynn, of course with a lighter hair color. Rita retched a little in her mouth when she remembered why that was the case.

But she could delay it no longer. Rita walked over to the living room, and noticed how everyone quieted down as she approached. She stood before Leni and Lacy in silence, waiting for them to make the first response.

Lacy felt nervous. Her grandmother was a very imposing figure, and the fact that she was glaring at her and her aunt didn't help the poor girl's anxiety. She felt a small tap on her shoulder, and looked to see it was Leni.

"Lacy, say hi to your grandmother," Leni said softly, trying to encourage her forward.

Lacy unconsciously turned to look at Lily, who gave her a weak smile, telling her that the best option now was to greet her grandmother. Lacy swallowed audibly, and slowly approached Rita. The older woman said and did nothing so far, which may have helped Lacy calm down a bit. She had expected to be yelled at, if not beaten.

 _I guess when you expect the worst, anything is better._

"Um… Hello, Grandma Rita," Lacy said hesitantly. Her grandmother stared her dead in the eyes, making young Lacy flinch a little. Rita studied Lacy over and over again, and stood silently for about a minute before finally sighing out loud and saying, in a rough tone:

"You sound like your mother."

She turned away from the girl, and gestured for her to follow as she walked into the kitchen. Lacy couldn't be sure of it, but she could have sworn that she saw tears pool in Rita's eyes.

* * *

 **Well, that draws a close to my first "real" chapter. I would like to thank my writing partner LoudAutomata16, for helping me out with the pacing and writing, and stopping me from writing this in first-person (it was really bad in first person).**

 **And I would like to thank you all, for the support I received from the last chapter. I'm glad to see that people wanted to read more of this.**

 **Just to respond to some reviews (I won't respond to all, but please note I always read them and am thankful to all who review):**

 **wollyworld: No ;)**

 **Drake: You'll find out later on.**

 **Rising Sun: I would have loved to respond to each of your points, but for the sake of time:**

 **1\. I think that, no matter what your thoughts on incest are, we can all agree it isn't the child's fault. That's what I want to get at with this story.**

 **2\. I hope I can make you feel differently about the Louds.**

 **3\. Don't worry. Your English is fine :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Just wanted to make a quick note of something: Last chapter, I had Lily refer to Leni as "Aunt Leni." That was a mistake. My bad :P**

* * *

" _Mommy, there's someone at the door asking for you and Daddy."_

 _Lynn and Lincoln looked down at their daughter, and asked the obvious question: "Did they say who they were?"_

" _She said… she said she was your sister."_

 _Silence rang through the room, as Lynn gulped heavily and Lincoln rushed over to the front door, throwing it open to see who it was. Lacy saw him embrace the stranger, and invite her inside. When Lincoln brought her to the small dining room they had, Lynn looked at her, and Lacy saw tears immediately fall from her eyes._

" _L-Lucy…" she said hesitantly, as if saying her name would chase her off. The dark-haired woman nodded, and the two came together in a warm embrace, both crying heavily as they did. Lincoln gave a small, sad smile as he watched. "Lacy," he whispered softly to his daughter, "That's your Aunt Lucy. She was your mother's roommate, and one of our closest sisters."_

" _Really?" asked Lacy, "Then why are they crying when they see each other?"_

 _Lincoln let out a small chuckle. "Not all crying is upset crying, dear."_

" _And if they are sisters, why do they look so different?" Lacy said as she noted her Aunt's raven hair and skinnier physique. Lincoln once again let out a small laugh, "Lacy, not all family members are exactly the same. A lot of the time, they act differently. But what matters is that they come together, and love each other. That's what makes them family."_

 _Lacy tried to comprehend the concept, as she watched her mother and her aunt continue their embrace, each refusing to let other go…_

* * *

Now, Lacy felt she had a better understanding of what her father had told her that day. After a week of living with her grandmother and her Aunt Lily, she knew what he had meant; family members did act differently.

For while Lily would treat her with kindness, Rita would treat her with apathy and sometimes, downright hatred. While Lily made an active effort to connect with her niece, it seemed like Rita did her best to avoid Lacy as much as possible, and sometimes Lacy could have sworn that she tried to encourage Lily to stay away from Lacy. There were times where Lacy would be wandering around the house, only to hear her grandmother and aunt arguing with each other, only for them to go quiet when they realized she was there. This indicated to Lacy that it was something they didn't want to hear, and there was only thing the two ever disagreed on…

Lacy sighed as she sat on her bed, staring at an old picture. The photo showed her with her parents, all of them smiling as they celebrated Lacy's first soccer game. Her team had lost, of course, by a large margin of seven to two. But that didn't matter to the girl; what mattered was that her parents were there for her, cheering her on…

"I wonder if Grandma would even let me play sports again?" Lacy absentmindedly asked herself.

"Well, the only way to know is to ask."

Lacy looked up to see Lily, pretend knocking on the door, with a smile on her face. "Sorry," Lily apologized, "Didn't mean to eavesdrop on you. I was just coming around to your room, and I overheard."

"I-it's no problem," Lacy responded, quickly putting the photo away in her pocket. However, Lily saw her do so, and immediately asked "What was that?"

"N-nothing," Lacy quickly responded. Lily just shrugged in seeming defeat, "Alright, but can you come over here for a second? I need to say something to you."

The young girl got up from her seat on her bed and walked over to Lily. As soon as she got close, Lily flashed her a mischievous grin and made a quick swipe for Lacy's pocket.

"HEY!" Lacy protested, but it was too late. Lily triumphantly held the photo in her hand. "Alright, let's get a good look at…" Lily started, before she saw what the photo was. As soon as she did, she looked back to Lacy, whose face was beginning redden and eyes were beginning to tear up, "Oh, Lacy, I'm so sorry. I thought it was a picture of a boy you liked or something," Lily apologized.

Lacy violently snatched the photo back from her aunt, "It's fine. Just leave me alone," she hissed at Lily, before going back to her bed and covering herself with her blanket. The girl had hoped she would have stopped crying by then, but for some reason the tears just kept coming.

 _It's not fair. Why would she embarrass me like that? Why wouldn't she respect my privacy?_

The girl felt resentment towards her Aunt Lily, and slowly, her negative thoughts began to latch onto a different person.

 _Even Grandma Rita respects my privacy. Doesn't mean I like her though. Why is she so mean to me? It's not my fault I was born like this. I hate her so much. I HATE HER!_

 _AND I ALSO HATE MY STUPID BROTHER-SISTER PARENTS!_

…

…

…

Lacy felt fresh waves of guilt and tears overcome her. The moment she mentally insulted her dead parents, was the moment when her sense of self-loathing grew. She was angry, yes, but at who? She was sad, but why?

What was happening to her?

Fortunately, like an angel appearing to a misguided sinner, Lily lifted the blanket and looked at the crying girl.

"Poor thing," she remarked, "You haven't cried over your parents yet, huh?"

Lacy thought back to the past few days, and realized her aunt was right. Through all the hustle and bustle of adoption, legal matters, meeting people and dealing with her grandmother, the young girl did not have any time for herself. This was, she realized, her first time crying after her mother and father passed.

She continued sobbing, for many reasons; sobbing for her dead parents, sobbing for miserable state, sobbing for the loveless household she was now in…

Well, almost loveless.

Lily wrapped her arms around Lacy, and drew her in for a hug, allowing the younger girl to continue crying on her shoulder. "It's okay, Lacy, let it out," she whispered softly into her niece's ear, causing the young girl to break into a new set of tears. Lily stroked Lacy's brownish hair as she did, and rubbed her back slightly, doing her best to comfort the girl.

Lacy cried for around twenty minutes. A long time, all things considered. Eventually, she calmed down, and felt the water pouring from her eyes begin to lessen. She tapped her aunt's back, indicating to Lily to let her go. After the two separated, Lacy looked in Lily's eyes, and gave her a look of gratitude, to which Lily responded with a soft smile.

"Thank you, Aunt Lily."

"No need to thank me. It's my fault for setting you off."

"No. It was like you said, Aunt Lily," Lacy said in a tired tone, "I didn't give myself any time to myself after the accident. I just… I just miss them so much…" she said before she trailed off.

Lily nodded slightly, and grabbed Lacy's shoulder softly. "Lacy, I miss them too. They were my beloved brother and sister, no matter what they did. I never really got to know them, as they disappeared from my life when I was three or four, but I…" she gave a soft smile, "I do get some glimpses of what they were like."

"What glimpses?" Lacy asked with curiosity.

Lily thought about it. "I remember, for example, your father taking me to the park, to play with the other kids, as he sat on a bench and watched with his friend. I remember your mother trying to get me to play sports with her, even though I could barely walk," she said with a bit of chuckle, "The point is, Lacy, is that we all miss them. Every single one of us who spent our lives with them."

"Not Grandma," Lacy said in a resentful tone, "I bet she's glad they are dead."

Lily shook her head sadly. "No, Lacy. She's the saddest of all of us."

Lacy's eyes widened with surprise. "W-what do you mean?"

The answer, however, would not come, as Lily stood up from the bed, and turned to walk towards the door. "Actually, I almost forgot," Lily said, turning around back at Lacy, "The reason I came here was because I wanted to tell you: I'm heading out to the mall for a while."

"Oh cool. The mall," said Lacy, as her eyes widened. She had heard so much about that place, but had never gone. "Can I… can I come with you?"

Lily's eyes shifted to the side. "I don't think Mom would like that…"

Lacy let out a sigh of disappointment. "Ok. Have fun, Aunt Lily."

 _Oh, just let the girl have some fun for once,_ came a voice in Lily's head, _She needs to think about something other than how everyone hates her and how her parents died._

 _Yeah, but…_

 _Come to think of it, weren't you the reason she started crying?_

Lily sighed, "Alright, alright," she whispered back, before she looked back to Lacy, "Actually, good news, Lace."

"What is it?"

"I don't care what Mom thinks. Let's go have some fun, you and I."

Lacy's face immediately brightened up. "You mean it?" she asked, but before Lily could even respond, the young girl had wrapped her arms around her, "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you," she repeated over and over, before finally letting go and running outside in pure excitement.

Lily smiled. _Oh well. Better tell Lyra I can't meet up with her._ Then Lily gave a satisfied grin. _Great. I always hated that bitch anyways._

* * *

The mall was a wonderful place, in Lacy's eyes, with new things to be discovered and new wonders to behold. There was a fountain that had colored lights in the water. There was a small place for couples to be wed. There was even a man selling deep fried ice cream. How was that even possible?

"Aunt Lily, can we get some of that?" she said as she pointed at the ice cream. Lily looked visibly disgusted. "Guess what Lisa said about Lincoln's tastes was true," she muttered to herself, before dragging the girl away from it. "Come on, Lacy, we can find something so much better to do."

"Like what?"

"Like… how about a movie?" Lily said as she changed course towards the cinema. Lacy was, of course, thrilled to see a movie.

"Oooh, I love movies. Dad used to take me to see them on my birthday, and there were these ones in space and with superheroes. He loved those, but Mom never wanted to watch them with him."

Lily chuckled a bit. "Once again, Lisa was telling the truth about those two," she said before she felt a sudden pain in her stomach, "Oh no. Lacy, can you… umm… wait for me for a little while? I need to go powder my nose."

"Oh, okay. Got it," Lacy said with a smile and a thumbs up. Lily went inside the bathroom, and Lacy stood outside, waiting for her while humming to herself.

"Hey, can you cut that out?" came a rough voice suddenly from her side. Lacy looked over and saw a girl roughly her age, with white hair and dark clothes.

"Oh, sorry."

" _Oh, sorry,_ " mocked the other girl, "You mall sheep are all the same."

"Excuse me? I don't know what you mean," replied Lacy, legitimately confused about what this strange girl was saying.

"You mall sheep… you're all a bunch of superficial, happy-go-lucky slaves to your out-of-control consumerist whims," responded the other girl, "And when someone like me shows up and disrupts all of your retarded fun, all you can do is act fearful and apologetic. You're all in pain, and buying crap is the only thing you can do to alleviate it."

"Well, everyone is in pain at some point, so if buying makes them feel better, why shouldn't they?" responded Lacy, though she was slowly starting to dislike this girl's company.

"Oh, I know how it is to be in pain. I just deal with it in a more real way," the girl said as she flashed a grin, "Want me to tell you how?"

Before Lacy could even respond, the girl stuck something into her pocket, and whispered "By confronting it head-on," before she turned to run away. She turned back for a second to shout at Lacy 'By the way, my name is Lupa," then turned back and ran off.

Lacy pulled the small thing that Lupa had left her out of her pocket. She didn't recognize it at first, but gasped when she did.

It was a razor. Small and sharp.

At that moment, Lily came out of the bathroom. "Whew, I haven't poo-pooed like that in forever," she said to herself, before seeing Lacy eye something in her hand. 'Hey, Lacy, what is that?" Lily asked. The girl quickly stuffed whatever it was back into her pocket.

"N-nothing, Aunt Lily," she said, before putting on a smile, "Let's go see that movie now."

Lily nodded and grabbed Lacy's hand as they continued on to the movie theater.

 _Well,_ Lily thought to herself, _I shouldn't ask for what's in her pocket. After all, can't hurt anyone to have a few secrets._

* * *

 **I hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter. I think that I am going to try to write a flashback to begin each chapter, just to give a clearer idea of the Loud family and Lacy's life before the accident.**

 **Also, Lupa and Lyra are not Lincoln's children here. Lacy is the only lovechild he had. Lyra was born somewhere else, to other parents. And Lupa… well… you'll see…**

 **Now to some reviews:**

 **1vanth30som3: Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed. And thank you for your support overall. You really went above and beyond :)**

 **Drake: It may not be soon, but I promise you it will be worth it.**

 **Rising Sun: I just love reading your reviews. Once again, three important points:**

 **1\. I love the family too, so I would be horrified if I found out I was portraying them badly.**

 **2\. I very much agree. A child is not responsible for their origins, and they have as much right to be happy as the rest of us.**

 **3\. The way I see it, no one in this fic is good or evil. They are all flawed people, trying to do their best. But sometimes, like in the case of Rita, the pain is too much …**


	4. Chapter 4

" _You have some nerve calling my sister, Loud."_

" _Bobby, please, I need to talk to Ronnie…"_

" _NO!" shouted the normally gentle Hispanic man, shocking Lincoln over on the other side of the phone, "Do you have any idea how broken she is right now? How much she's been crying? And if it's not bad enough you cheated on her, you did it with your SISTER. What's wrong with you?"_

" _That's why I want to talk to her. I need to…"_

" _Bullshit. You just want a place for you and your sister to stay. You don't give a shit about her feelings."_

" _Bobby, please…"_

" _Goodbye, Lincoln. Goodbye forever."_

 _Lincoln hung up the phone with a sigh as he turned to a pregnant Lynn. The sixteen-year old girl had normally been a strong person, stronger than brother, but whether it was the hormones, the rejections, or the hatred that had been thrown their way, Lynn found there was nothing left to do other than to just break down and cry._

 _Lincoln tried to comfort his sister, but she pushed him away every time he tried to touch her. "This is all your fault," she spat at him in anger, tears still flowing from her eyes, "We've lost everything because of you."_

" _M-me?" asked Lincoln in shock, "This was just as much your fau..."_

 _Lincoln did not finish his sentence, because his athletic sister had just punched him in the mouth. When Lincoln tasted the coppery flavor of blood, he angrily clenched his teeth, and rose his fist to fight back… but then he hesitated. He took a good look at his sister, and saw someone, for the first time in his life, his sister Lynn in a weak state, and it was apparent to him that she just needed something… anything to go on._

 _Lincoln sighed heavily. "Lynn, please don't cry. I hate to see you cry."_

 _The pregnant girl collapsed into her brother's arms, as she sobbed and sobbed for everything they had lost, while Lincoln gently held on to her, praying that everything would be alright…_

* * *

Rita Loud sat in her living room, watching the TV. It didn't really matter what she was watching; she had, in the last ten minutes, changed the channel over 40 times, from news to sports to documentaries to children's cartoons. The old woman didn't even register what images she was seeing on her screen, she just wanted to not think. To not think about her children, who had left her alone… to not think of Lacy, the eternal reminder of her failures as a parent… to not think of her husband…

She then heard footsteps coming closer to the door. The sound of the footsteps were accompanied by two feminine voices, so Rita relaxed a bit, realizing that it was most likely Lily and Lacy.

The front door swung open, revealing a laughing Lily and a giggling Lacy, both of whom seemed to be discussing a film they had watched.

"And remember that really dumb scene towards the end, where it turned out it was all dream the whole time?" said Lily, shaking her head at how silly the film had been. Rita audibly cleared her throat, drawing the two girls' attention.

"Where were you two?" Rita asked in a rough voice, her eyes glued to Lacy's face. The girl flinched at the powerful gaze of the Loud matriarch. But, much to her relief, her aunt Lily did not…

"We were out, having fun at the mall," Lily answered, in a sort of challenging tone.

"At the mall…" repeated Rita in a whispery tone, giving small and subtle nods, almost as though she were thinking on it… before exploding on the two girls…

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU TWO DOING AT THE MALL? DO YOU KNOW HOW LATE IT IS RIGHT NOW? AND WHY DID YOU TAKE _HER_ OUT? TO PARADE AROUND THAT WE HAVE AN INCEST CHILD IN OUR FAMILY…"

"THAT'S NOT FAIR! SHE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG. AND I DIDN'T KNOW WE WERE SUPPOSED TO KEEP LOCKED UP ALL DAY…"

"SHE GOES TO SCHOOL… AND THEN COMES HOME… THAT'S IT!"

Lacy stood in shock as she watches her aunt and her grandmother audibly argue about her, in front of her. They… they never argued about her in front of her. She wasn't stupid, she knew that, behind closed door and in hushed voices they would debate and argue about her and her presence in their home and in their lives.

But for the first time, the two went straight at it in front of her face.

By the time she had snapped out of her thoughts, she saw Lily throw her hands in the air in frustration. "I'm not having this conversation," said Lily, "Come on, Lacy, let's go upstairs."

"She won't be going anywhere. I'm having a talk with her right now," said Rita as she glared at her granddaughter. Lacy felt herself hide behind Lily, confident the older girl would protect her.

"Lacy, just go upstairs," Lily ordered her.

"Lacy, don't listen to her. I'm your guardian…"

When Rita uttered that word, Lacy felt something change within her. Her fear was… erased. Vanished. Replaced with… something else. A feeling of cold anger towards Rita. No… it wasn't anger. It was…

Hatred.

"Guardian?" Lacy repeated in a soft yet icy tone, which somehow managed to quiet both of her family members, "Guardian?"

Rita stared the girl directly in the eye, and affirmed it. "Yes. Guardian."

Lacy clenched her teeth to the point where they hurt. She made a fist so tight her knuckles went white. She looked to the floor and then back up at Rita, who jumped back in surprise at the powerful look of hatred Lacy gave her.

"You aren't my guardian… You know what you are? You are my grandmother," the girl stated bluntly, in an unnerving tone, "My grandmother, on both sides, because my parents were both your children. Never forget that. As much as you would like to deny it, as much as you wish to forget, it is the truth. You, Rita Loud, are my grandmother, and I am your granddaughter…"

Lacy didn't even bother checking the expression on Rita's face, or on Lily's face. She simply turned with tears rolling down her freckled cheeks, and quickly ran up the stairs, rushing into her bedroom. She threw herself violently onto the bed and, grabbing a nearby pillow, started to cry.

 _Stupid Lacy… you thought you could have one day, just one day, where you got to have fun, where you got to be normal… but no, that's for normal people. Freaks like you don't get happy days…_

The girl tightened her grip on the pillow, burying her face deeper into it, as if she wanted to choke herself…

 _Stupid Grandma… she hates me. She'll always hate me… and why not? I deserve to be hated… for being a monster of incest… a child of sin…_

As the girl kept crying and wailing into her pillow, she shifted her legs, only to notice a sharp pain in her thigh. The girl, wiping her tears and still sniffling, lifted her face from the pillow and reached into her pocket, pulling out the gift from earlier…

The razor.

Lacy remembered why Lupa had given her this. To deal with pain…

 _Well,_ Lacy thought to herself, _I'm in pain…_

With shaking hands, Lacy placed the sharp tool on top of her wrist. She gulped as she stared at the razor, dangling on top of her skin, ready to cut it open. She then steeled her resolve.

 _It's how to deal with pain._

Lacy took the blade to the side of her wrist, preparing to cut her veins open…

"LACY, NO!"

The young girl felt a strong arm grab her own arm, and pull the razor back. She turned around, expecting to see Lily…

But it was Rita.

"Grandma?"asked Lacy in confusion, "But… why? Why… WHY WON'T YOU LET ME?"

Rita stared at the young girl in horror. She was at a loss for words. But she didn't need to think of anything, as her granddaughter simply broke down. She started crying and screaming, even harder than before, as the trails of tears down her face became waterfalls…

"Why can't I do anything right?" the twelve year old wailed. Everything was so wrong… her parents were dead, her family hated her, her life was doomed from the day she was born…

But suddenly, all those thoughts evaporated as the unexpected happened.

Rita Loud, the woman who had treated her with nothing but cruelty, the woman who had made her life in the Loud House miserable, the woman she was sure hated her to no end...

That Rita Loud pulled her granddaughter in for a hug.

She let the young girl cry on her shoulder, and didn't say a word the entire time, simply stroking her hair gently, allowing Lacy to finish…

"G-grandma, why did you… do this?"

The older woman pulled back, but didn't let go of Lacy. She held onto her firmly by the shoulders. The truth was, she had no idea why she did what she did. She had intended to come upstairs and yell at Lacy. But when she saw Lacy about to do that… thing to herself… something kicked in within her… something primal, instinctual… something maternal…

Like a grandmother.

Rita, of course, did not answer the girl's question. She thought for a while, before finally nodding to herself.

"Lacy," she said in a voice that was distant, but still had traces of feeling, "Tomorrow, me and you are going to take a drive."

The young girl wiped some remaining water from her face. "Where to?"

Rita sighed. "To… to see your grandfather."

* * *

 **Well, the time was finally come… we finally get to the point where Rita and Lacy interact, and we see if there can ever truly be a bond between them. And what happened to Lynn Sr. is finally to be revealed.**

 **Now, review time:**

 **The Keeper of Worlds: Hope that opening flashback answered your questions about Ronnie-Anne. She never had any interactions with the Louds ever again (except her sister-in-law Lori). Sucks for me, because I'm a Ronniecoln shipper ;-;**

 **1vanth30s0m3: Well, you were right to worry. As for next chapter… you'll see…**


	5. Chapter 5

" _Mommy, Daddy, look… I got an A+ in gym class…"_

 _The six year old Lacy stopped in her tracks, as she saw her parents looking… particularly melancholy. Lynn was hugging herself as she stared at the floor with a deeply guilty look on her face. On the other hand, Lincoln stared at the ceiling with glassy eyes, as if he were in a completely different world…_

" _Um… Mommy? Daddy?"_

 _They seemed to snap out of whatever trance they were in, as the sound of their daughter's voice brought them back to the real world. "Oh, hi honey," Lincoln said with a smile, "What were you saying?"_

 _The girl waved her report card in her father's face. "I got perfect in my gym," she said with glee. Her mother chuckled on the other side of the room._

" _Of course you did, Lacy. You're my daughter after all," she said with pride._

 _The man of the house patted his daughter on the head. "We're very proud of you, Lacy," he said softly, causing the young girl to giggle with pride. But she suddenly stopped, and looked her father in the eyes, "Daddy, why were you and Mommy so sad before?"_

 _The two adults flashed looks at each other, before Lynn gave her younger brother a slight nod. Lincoln sighed and told his daughter the truth._

" _Because Lacy, today is a… special day, for us. It's a day that should have been a happy day, but… things happened."_

" _W-what is it?" the girl asked curiously._

 _Lincoln swallowed a bit before he answered. "It's… it's your grandfather's birthday today."_

 _Lacy didn't understand. Why were they sad if it was Grandpa's birthday? Birthdays were happy days, for celebrating. She had never met her grandfather, but she was sure he would want his family to be there for his birthday…_

" _Well, let's go," Lacy said as she grabbed and started pulling her father, "Let's go wish Grandpa a happy birthday."_

" _We… we can't really do that," Lincoln said, putting on a smile for his daughter, but his eyes looked like they were about to cry…_

* * *

Lacy had always been curious about Lynn Loud Sr. She wondered why she had never heard from him, and never heard about him. Her parents would openly speak about their mother and all of their sisters, but the subject of their father was never approached, as Lynn and Lincoln would often change the subject, with uncomfortable looks on their faces…

But now, her grandmother had decided, for one reason or another, to finally introduce the patriarch of the Loud House to her granddaughter. The two of them went into the car, neither saying a word to each other. The events of last night highly uncomforted them, and Rita had been sure to watch over Lacy, even after taking the razor from her. This act of looking out for Lacy's safety surprised the young girl, but it surprised Rita even more…

Once Lacy had buckled in her seatbelt, Rita carefully backed out of the driveway, on to the main road, and sped off. To where? Lacy didn't know.

The entire car ride was silent, as Rita and Lacy passed gray building after gray building. The sky itself was pretty gray, as if it were readying itself for rain. Lacy found herself in a pretty miserable state because of all this, and the only sounds she made were her own quiet sighs.

Eventually, Rita took a turn, and the vehicle entered a small parking lot. She parked the car and unlocked the doors, indicating to Lacy to exit the vehicle. As soon as she went back over to Rita's side of the car, the older woman grabbed her hand forcefully, and started dragging her towards a rather large building.

A hospital, Lacy saw.

What followed was the hustle and bustle of a hospital. People came in and went out. They sat around, coughing and wheezing and looking uncomfortable and impatient. But Lacy didn't have too much of an opportunity to stare, as Rita took her to the elevators. They took a while to arrive, but as soon as they entered, Rita hit the button for the fourth floor, and they ascended.

"Um, Grandma?"

Rita grunted a little "Hmm?"

"Is… is Grandpa sick? Is that why I've never seen him?"

The older woman's face changed. It went from a cold rock solid, to a sort of sadness. Her eyes closed as she lowered her head, and Lacy heard a little sniffle. When she opened her eyes again, she answered, "Not the usual… not the usual sick. You'll see in a second."

The elevator doors opened, and the two of them made their way into the lobby.

"Sit there for a second," Rita ordered Lacy, as she pointed at a small chair attached to the wall. Lacy nodded, and walked over to the chair as Rita walked over to the front desk. Lacy watched them exchange words that she couldn't hear, before she threw her head back to give herself some time to think…

 _Why is Grandma doing this? I thought she didn't want anyone in our family to see me. Why is she taking me to Grandpa now?_

 _And why is Grandpa in a hospital? Is he sick? If that's the case, how come Mom and Dad never took me to see him…_

"Get up," a rough voice interrupted her thoughts, as Rita Loud stared down at her, gesturing for her to stand up. Lacy nodded and slowly stood up from her chair, only to walk down the small hallway, to a small door on the right. Before they went in, Lacy saw her grandmother freeze up as she grabbed the door knob. Her eyes, they were so full of… loss…

Lacy touched Rita's hand, providing a warmth that the cold door knob took from Rita. The old woman looked down at Lacy, and the girl gave her a soft smile. Rita did not return it, but Lacy did note her expression changed…

When she opened the door, Lacy stood hesitantly in front of it. Should she go in? Does her grandfather even want to see her? Would he treat her the same way Rita did? She took a deep breath, and realized the only way to know for sure was to find out.

Lynn Loud Jr. did not raise any cowards.

She took a slow step in, followed by another, followed by another, followed by another…

"For Lynn's daughter, you really are slow," Rita muttered. The young girl flashed her an angry look and quickly went inside.

The first thing her eyes noticed was a bed, where an old man lay, covered by a blue blanket. _Grandpa,_ Lacy realized, as she went over to the side of the bed. The man's eyes were open, so he wasn't asleep, yet he did not react to Lacy's presence.

"H-hello, Grandpa," Lacy squeaked out. No response.

"It's me, Lacy. You're… you're granddaughter. You may have heard of me from…"

"Don't bother, Lacy," she heard Rita say to her. She turned to the old woman and asked "What's wrong with him? Can't he hear me?"

Rita shook her head. "No, no, he can't," she said with sadness, as she went over to her husband and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Hello, dear," she whispered softly. No response from Lynn Sr.

Rita turned back to Lacy, and sighed, "When your… mother and father were exposed for being in a…" the woman made a noise of disgust, "… relationship with each other, everyone reacted differently. Some were disgusted, some were angry… but not Lynn. He… he couldn't handle it, the idea that the jewel of his eye Lynn, and the pride of his life Lincoln would do something like… that to each other. It broke him," she looked back to the old man on the bed, in his catatonic state, "And he's been like this ever since," she finished sadly.

"Is that why you hate me, Grandma?"

Normally, Lacy would have expected rage from her grandmother. Normally, this was when Rita would start shouting and yelling at the girl. But, to her surprise, the old woman simply slumped into a chair and covered her face with her hands.

"When your mother… our daughter… got pregnant with you, everything was taken away from us. My happy life as a mother, my family bonds with my kids, my… my husband…"

Then the impossible happened. Rita Loud… the woman who was cruel and cold, who was without emotion, who went through the last few days with a stony face…

That Rita Loud broke down and cried.

She covered her face as she started sobbing, but the hands did very little to muffle her cries. She sat there, crying and wiping her face of tears. Why was everything taken from her? What did she do wrong? Was she a bad mother? Was it inevitable? And why, why, was she now tormented by having to raise the ever-remaining proof of her son and daughter's sin? When did life become so… so merciless, so cold?

But, for once, life decided to not be cold. Rita felt a warmth overtake her shoulder, and she looked up to see Lacy, the girl she had despised ever so, hugging her as tears fell down her face as well.

"Oh, Grandma… I'm so sorry…" was all the girl could choke out. But it was enough for Rita, who rather than throw the girl aside… hugged her back. The younger girl noticed, and seemed to cry even harder, as she dug her face into her grandmother's shoulder, while Rita held onto Lacy as if she was her only lifeline. For a moment, it was only them; the woman who had lost everything, and the girl who had nothing from the start...

Eventually, the tears stopped coming from both of them, and the two separated from their embrace. They looked each other in the eyes, and Rita gave Lacy a soft smile, as a sign of gratitude. Lacy smiled back a little.

"Thank you, Lacy," her grandmother said softly, before she stood up, and straightened her back. "Shall we go now?" the older woman asked, offering Lacy her hand. Lacy grabbed her grandmother's hand and nodded, "Let's go."

Before they exited the room, Lacy took one last look at her grandfather. It may have been an illusion, because he was unable to respond, but Lacy felt as though he had a… lighter look in his eyes…

* * *

The two entered the car, and Rita grabbed her cellphone and dialed in Lily's number. She waited a while, before hearing Lily's answering message, "Sorry I'm not here right now. Leave a message. Or don't."

"Lily, we are going to be a little later coming home than I thought. So don't worry about us." Rita mouthed into her phone.

"Um, Grandma, aren't we going home now?" Lacy asked.

Rita shook her head. "No, Lacy, we're going to go do something else."

"What is that?"

The older woman's eyes steeled. "Something we should have done a long time ago…" she muttered, as if to herself rather than to answer Lacy's question.

* * *

 **Thank you all for reading. This story is coming to a close soon, so I would like to thank you for coming along this journey so far. The scene with Lynn Sr. is something I had in mind since day one, so I'm glad I finally let it out.**

 **Reviews:**

 **d. felipe76: I sent you your answer.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So I've read some of the reviews from last time. Did you all think I was going to have Rita kill Lacy? Who do you think I am, Flagg?**

 **(Just to clarify, I like Flagg and consider him to be one of my favorite authors, and a major inspiration for me to start writing. But sometimes he goes a little crazy. I don't think even he would deny that.)**

* * *

 _Lincoln was crying._

 _Not because of all the horrible things he had been through. Not because he was chased from his home. Not because he was thrown aside by his family. Not because he and his sister had, by showing their love to each other, broken each other._

 _No, he was crying because he held a baby in his hands. His baby._

 _A warm smile was on his face the whole time, as he stared at the young girl in his arms, wrapped by a soft blanket. The baby cried, as newborns did, and the father rocked her gently, hoping to calm her down._

" _Thank you, Lisa," Lincoln said gently as he turned to his two sisters. Lynn still had her legs spread open, as Lisa was attempting to clean up all the remains._

" _It was no issue," said Lisa in a monotone voice, "I'd assume that you would have trouble making it to a hospital in your… state, and it would be beneficial for the child to be born by the best hands possible," the girl said with a bit of pride, "Those being my own, of course."_

" _Of course…" Lincoln repeated, before trailing off to look back at his baby._

" _How… how is everyone? Back home?" Lynn asked her younger sister._

 _The scientist shook her head, and let out a small sigh. "Things are different back home. You are well aware of what happened to Father. Mother is constantly breaking down into tears. Lori took care of everything at first, before she eventually fled, the stress and pain being too much for her to handle. And, well…" Lisa trailed off, before looking back at Lynn with tearful eyes, "I- I miss you both."_

 _Lynn wiped her eye, and gestured to Lisa to give her a hug. The two girls embraced warmly, with Lisa gripping onto her sister, as if Lynn was going to disappear once again. She felt another embrace, and she turned to see her older brother join in as well._

" _C-careful brother. You might make Lynn jealous," Lisa joked weakly._

 _Lincoln chuckled slightly. "Lisa, don't even joke like that."_

 _The three (or more precisely, four) separated from their sibling reunion, and Lisa took the baby from Lincoln's arms._

" _Please, Lisa, can't I hold her?" Lynn begged._

" _I'm sorry, Lynn, but I'm going to need to take care of the baby as soon as possible," Lisa responded, "I've got a lot of medicine I'll need to give her."_

 _She started walking away from her two older siblings, before she turned around slightly._

" _I… I just have one thing I need to ask: Why? Why did you two take the path that no siblings should take? Why did you throw everything away, throw all of us away? Why?"_

 _Lincoln and Lynn looked each other in eyes, before giving each other soft smiles._

" _Because, Lisa," Lincoln responded, "we love each other."_

* * *

Another long and silent drive. However, this one was a bit different than the one before, Lacy noted to herself. The first drive had an atmosphere tinged with mystery and tension between the old woman and the young girl. But this drive was different. While the destination Rita had in mind was still unknown, Lacy couldn't help but note that the uneasiness of their original trip had dropped. The mood was more calm, more easy, for both parties.

Still, what Rita was planning to do was something that drove Lacy mad not knowing. But she was too afraid to ask, worried that Rita would either not respond, or respond with strong emotions. So Lacy kept her mouth shut, and her mind busy, as her grandmother drove them to their intended location.

After what seemed like ages, Lacy felt the car stop again. She snapped out of her thinking and took a look around her, to see where they had arrived. She looked to see tall gates and fences, behind them long rows and columns of tall, upright stones…

A graveyard.

They were at a graveyard.

Rita unbuckled her seatbelt, and looked over to her granddaughter, only to see her with a look of absolute fright on her face.

"What's wrong with you?" Rita asked, though she immediately wished she had said it in a kinder way.

The scared twelve-year old looked back at her grandmother. "Are… are you going to kill me?"

…

…

Rita burst out laughing.

"Oh my God, do you think I'm going to kill you?" she said, wiping a tear away from her eye, "What did Lily show you at the movie theater?"

Lacy's face grew red from embarrassment, and plastered on it was an awkward and sheepish smile. The older woman stopped laughing, and exited the vehicle, prompting Lacy to do the same.

"But, Grandma, why are we here then?" the young girl asked in curiosity.

The laughing look on Rita's face vanished, and was replaced with a more grim and somber look. "Just follow me," she said roughly, as they entered the graveyard together.

They walked past rows and rows of tombstones, some with flowers on them, and others with people standing before them. Lacy observed the quiet, almost spiritual atmosphere of this place, and she was affected by it. She put on a face of neutrality as she walked with her grandmother, until they reached two graves…

Lacy's somber face broke into one of devastation when she read the names on the tombstones.

LINCOLN LOUD… LYNN LOUD…

These were her parent's graves.

"M-mom… Dad…" the girl whispered.

Rita stared down at the tombstones, with a look of pure sadness. "Y-yes, Lacy," she choked out, "Your parents… my children… rest here."

The young girl looked up at the matriarch, and Rita let out a massive sigh. "Lacy… is this your first time, visiting here?"

The girl nodded slightly in response, prompting Rita to cover her eyes, for they were beginning to sting. "Then that's something we both have in common," she said before she got on her knees, in between the tombstones. "It's time… it's time I visited my children."

Rita closed her eyes placed her hands together, as if she was about to pray, before she heard a small sniffle. She opened her eyes to a sobbing Lacy.

"W-why?" she asked, "Why did you bring me here? Why… why now?"

"Lacy… last night, when you… tried to harm yourself, you awoke something within me. Something I hadn't felt in a long time. No, you… opened my feelings once again. I had tried to push away all my feelings for my children, and for you, because… Lacy, they hurt too much. But now I realize one thing… one thing more than all…"

The old woman covered her face and screamed her admission:

"I MISS MY CHILDREN!"

Rita broke down into a crying mess, as her head touched the ground and she placed her fists to her chests. "I loved my son… he was so kind, and thoughtful, and loving… I loved my daughter… she was so full of life and joy… Lacy, I… I just wish I had them back again. I want… I want my babies back…" she choked as her throat began to feel sore, but that didn't stop her from crying as hard as she could…

And, just as in the hospital, her granddaughter rushed over, and hugged the older woman. The girl was a complete mess; her face was wet with tears and snot, and she screamed and cried.

"I… I… I miss my mommy and daddy," she cried out, "I miss them so much. I just want to see them again. I just wanted… to say goodbye…"

The two held onto each other for dear life, as they mourned the loss of these two beloved family members. To one, they were parents and caregivers. To the other, they were children and offspring.

To both, they were irreplaceable.

As they cried together, they both felt as though there were other presences. The hug consisted of the two of them, but it felt like… like there were two other people there. Two people embracing Rita and Lacy, as only family ever could. Two people who felt as if… they were love itself…

For the first time, since her children ran away, Rita felt warm again…

* * *

 **Well, ladies and gentlemen, next chapter is the final update. I won't say too much here, because everything I want to say should be said then.**

 **Reviews:**

 **1vanth30s0m3: I hope this chapter satisfied as well.**

 **Hot Sauce: It's been a while for her. I should have established that better. Sorry.**

 **normandelosnorma: I would've loved to have made this longer, but the story this was based off of (Lacy is For Suffering) was very short, so I thought mine shouldn't be too long either.**


	7. Chapter 7

"GO LACY!" Lily shouted from the bleachers, as she and her mother cheered on the young girl.

Lacy smiled when she heard Lily cheer her on, as she dribbled the basketball and maneuvered past some opposing teammates. Despite her short time on the team, she had already rose to be one of the top players they had, a feat that surprised nearly everyone. Well, except Rita...

"Lacy, I'm open," she heard one of her teammates yell. She arched her arms back and passed the orange ball to her teammate, who caught it with ease and ran all the way to the other basket, Lacy following her closely. The other girl took aim and shot the ball… only for her to miss and the ball to bounce off the backboard.

"AWWWWWW!" the crowd erupted in disappointment.

But before the ball could hit the ground, Lacy caught it and carefully aimed it at the basket. She whispered a silent "Please," before launching the ball from her hands… straight into the basket.

The crowd went wild with cheer, as the announcer screamed into his microphone. "THE TURKEY JERKIES WIN ANOTHER GAME, THANKS TO THE SKILLS OF NEWCOMER LACY LOUD!"

Everyone in the audience began clapping and applauding the team, Lacy especially. The girl gazed at the crowd, a bright and happy smile on her face, and a small trickle of tears going down.

A few weeks ago, those tears had been of sadness. But now, they were of joy.

The girl's eyes scanned the crowd, until she saw what she was looking for; her Aunt Lily and Grandmother Rita, celebrating her victory. Lily was completely wild, waving her hands in the air and shouting as loud as she could. As for Rita, she was more content to celebrate calmly, a smile on her face as she watched Lacy embrace her teammates.

"Um, excuse me?" Rita felt a tap on her shoulder, and turned to see another elder woman, "Pardon me for asking, but are you that girl's grandmother?" she said as she pointed at Lacy.

Rita hesitated, and turned back to look at the girl, smiling as her teammates lifted her into the air. Rita smiled herself; if this woman had asked a few weeks ago, she would have gotten a different answer…

"Yes," Rita answered with pride, "That girl is my granddaughter."

* * *

 **First, thank you all so much for reading this short story about this unfortunate lovechild. It means a lot that people seemed to like this story.**

 **Second, I would to give specific thanks to MOONDAFFODIL, the original writer of 'Lacy Is For Suffering,' which inspired this story. I hope they somehow read this (I say 'they' because I have no idea if they are male or female).**

 **The final thing I have to say is that, despite this story's flaws and issues, I'm happy with how it turned out overall. My only true regret is that I never followed up with Lupa (I had plans to, but I realized they were very stupid/unnecessary).**

 **So, once again, thank you all so much for reading. And please, leave a review telling me how you liked it, or how I could have done better. Any feedback is welcome.**

 **Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a lot of school work to do, and then I got to get back to work on 'Sin of Lynn.'**


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